This is an expanded discussion of a point I initially raised in a comment
I am beginning to think that Weiner's resignation is the result, in part, of the new prominence of women in leadership positions in the Democratic Party.
Many have noted that Republicans are not forced to resign for their sex scandals. More so, many of the same Democrats calling for Weiner to resign now didn't call for Clinton to resign. So what's the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats? What's changed in the Democratic Party since the Clinton era?
As best as I can tell, the difference is that few women are in leadership positions in the Republican Party today and few women were in leadership positions in the Democratic Party during the Clinton administration. But, the modern Democratic Party has several women in powerful positions. Pelosi is minority leader and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is DNC chair. The presence of women in positions of power in the modern Democratic Party may be the critical difference that explains why Weiner was forced to resign.
The article that got me thinking about all of this was on TPM concerning Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's explanation as to why she defended Bill Clinton but called for Weiner's resignation. I can't find the article to link at the moment but, to be honest, her answer was pretty lousy. I suspect it was lousy because she couldn't really say the true reasons, which are:
1. A single congressman isn't as important as a president.
2. Back then, neither Wasserman-Schultz nor any other women were in leadership positions in the Democratic Party.
Now, however, we have Pelosi and others in leadership positions, and I think they may simply have less tolerance for this boys-will-be-boys bullshit. They will simply not tolerate this crap anymore. Back in Clinton's day, in contrast, congresswomen needed to play ball with the male leadership.
This is all just a thought, and I am not certain I am right. Even if I am right, I am not altogether clear what I think of it. At some level, it bothers me that Weiner is being forced out for something that is neither illegal nor particularly unethical. Its a sex scandal without sex.
At the same time, I can also see that the powerful women of the Democratic leadership are laying down the law. They are tired of this crap. While they can't force republicans to resign--they can damn well force Weiner out. This in turn might serve to scare the shit out of other Democratic Congressmen. And that ain't all bad.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that women in the Democratic leadership are clutching their pearls--they know their colleagues and know that men in power have been fucking pretty young things (of both sexes) other than their wives since time immemeorium. Sex and power go hand in hand-job. But now that congresswomen have power, they are letting folks within their own party know that its time for this shit to stop.